Although I absolutely love lazy, slow mornings, I’ve found that getting my workout done first thing is just how I need to live my life. It’s SO much easier for me to get motivated. Plus, I feel great the rest of the day and don’t have that burden of, “I should workout later,” running through my head.
If you struggle to get up bright and early to workout in the morning (been there), then check out some of the reasons why I do it and how I’m able to stick with it.
Why I Do It
- The longer in the day I wait, the less of a chance I’ll actually do it. When I workout in the morning, my day has barely started and the only thing distracting me from actually working out is bed and coffee. If I wait till the evening to workout, yes, I’m much more awake, but I’m much more likely to have made plans in place of working out (sitting on the couch counts as plans, right?).
- I’m much more productive all day. Whenever I stall working out, I tend to be extremely lazy. Starting my day with a workout in the morning gets me in a much more productive mood.
- It starts my day on the right foot. Working out first thing in the morning makes me happy and gets me thinking healthy right away. It’s crazy how much it influences the rest of my decisions all day.
How I Do It
- I plan my workout the night before. Half-asleep me doesn’t like thinking about the pain of a workout. Planning it the night before allows me to get up and get started without realizing what is about to happen.
- I go through the motions. I don’t care who you are—no one wants to workout every single morning. Not every workout is the best either. HOWEVER, I make an effort to be consistent and go workout in the mornings (except for planned rest days, of course). That way I don’t get in the habit of skipping workouts. Once I’m warmed up, I’m more awake and can usually get in a good workout. And other days…I just have to fake it till I make it!
- I don’t waste time. The longer I sit around stalling the workout, the more I don’t want to do anything. Since I don’t like working out on an empty stomach, I eat a small breakfast, then I get dressed and head out for whatever workout I have planned.
- I don’t think too much. Obviously sitting around and chillaxing sounds better than working up a sweat right after you’ve woken up. That is why I accept I must workout and make it happen. Eventually, it’ll become a habit, and you won’t question it anymore.
- I go with a friend. This used to happen but not so much anymore. (I tend to be more motivated than others are (ehem, Matt) in the morning…) Despite my currently lonely workouts, it used to drag me out of bed in an instant. I don’t like making people wait on me. Finding an accountability partner is a great way to get motivated.
- I incorporate fun workouts. Working out can get boring very fast. I run often. I do weight exercises often. I try to mix it up occasionally by doing things like hiking, walking, and playing sports with friends when I can.
Hope you find those helpful! Keep with it and pretty soon you’ll be a rockstar at morning workouts.
When’s your favorite time to workout?
I use the same strategies as you. But mostly I just remind myself that I won’t want to do it later and I might as well get it over with. Plus, I’ll feel so good about myself all day long if I do it early!
Amen!
I tried working out before work at 6am it only lasted a month. Your pretty awesome for committing to it. 4 pm works great for me 🙂